Votive candle holder

ABSTRACT

A votive candle holder adapted to receive a cored candle and be thrown away after use. The candle holder is provided with an upstanding vertical wick secured to the bottom of the candle holder and receives the cored wax candle in mating relation in a simple insertion. The candle holder in its preferred embodiment has a raised central portion, through which the wick extends, and an annular depressed portion such that when the wax candle melts down the wick is extinguished leaving a reservoir of wax in the depressed annular portion separated from the wick to prevent overheating of the bottom of the holder. In the case of a glass holder, the raised portion may be provided by a plug supporting the wick. In a preferred embodiment, the candle holder is made of flame-retardant plastic of integral cost or molded construction. The holder may be supported upon a raised annular rim as a further precaution against overheating the bottom and any support upon which the candle holder may be placed.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Richard F. Schramm 4359 Weber Road, St. Louis, Mo. 6312 [2]] Appl. No. 839,160 [22] Filed July 7, 1969 [45] Patented June 8,1971

[54] VOTIVE CANDLE HOLDER 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 431/291 [51] Int. Cl F23d 3/16 [50] Field of Search 431/291 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 298,448 5/1884 Clarke 431/291 2,713,256 7/1955 Osterle et al. 431/291 2,812,653 11/1957 Meunier 431/291 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,603 1909 Great Britain 431/291 Primary Examiner-Carr0ll B Dority, Jr. AtrorneyKingsland, Rogers, Ezell, Eilers & Robbins ABSTRACT: A votive candle holder adapted to receive a cored candle and be thrown away after use. The candle holder is provided with an upstanding vertical wick secured to the bottom of the candle holder and receives the cored wax candle in mating relation in a simple insertion. The candle holder in its preferred embodiment has a raised central portion,

through which the wick extends, and an annular depressed portion such that when the wax candle melts down the wick is extinguished leaving a reservoir of wax in the depressed annular portion separated from the wick to prevent overheating of the bottom of the holder. In the case of a glass holder, the raised portion may be provided by a plug supporting the wick. In a preferred embodiment, the candle holder is made of flame-retardant plastic of integral cost or molded construction. The holder may be supported upon a raised annular rim as a further precaution against overheating the bottom and any support upon which the candle holder may be placed.

E 4 14 I i i I VOTIVE CANDLE HOLDER SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the past, various types of votive candle holders have been devised for use in church offerings and the like. Such candle holders have been designed for reuse and have generally had specially designed construction, such as bottom plates and the like, for supporting the wax candle such that the wax residue can be lifted out of the candle holder after the candle has been used up. Such candle holders have presented problems in cleaning and wax removal for use with a new candle.

By means of this invention, there has been provided a candle holder having means supporting a rigid upstanding wick by virtue of which a cored candle may be simply placed over it for immediate use.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, there has been provided a simple flame-retardant plastic candle holder, which, after use with the candle, can be thrown away due to the low and minimal cost involved. The candle holder has obviated the problem of cleaning and removal of an old candle residue.

The candle holder may also be made of glass with provision for inserting a plastic plug or the like in the bottom of the holder. The plug may be of a height to provide the raised center portion and supports the rigid wick.

The preferred candle holder is simple in construction and use and only requires that a cored wax candle be placed upon the candle holder for usage. The candle holder is made of flame-retardant plastic of conventional composition and is of a special configuration to prevent overheating of the bottom of the candle holder as the candle burns down to the bottom. This special configuration consists of a raised central portion through which the stiff, rigid, wick fits and prevents burning of the candle to the bottom wall of the candle holder. By the raised central portion, an annular depressed portion is formed, which is filled with the wax from the candle after the flame from the wick is extinguished, since the wick at the raised central portion is out of contact with the wax in the depressed annular portion. The wick is supported in the raised central portion and can be simply secured to the outside of the bottom wall of the candle holder. A raised annular rim depends from the bottom of the candle holder and spaces the bottom wall above any support upon which the candle holder is supplied, which further minimizes heat transfer to any support surface upon which the candle holder is placed.

The above features are objects of this invention and further objects will appear in the detailed description which follows and will be otherwise apparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration of this invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof. It is to be understood that these drawings are for the purpose of example only and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view in vertical section of a preferred embodiment of the candle holder and a fragmentary view in elevation and partly in vertical section of the wax candle;

FIG. 2 is a view in vertical section of the candle holder with the cored wax candle inserted therein;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section showing the relation of the bottom of the candle holder and the wick and the wax candle;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view in vertical section of a modification of the candle holder using a glass construction and a wick supporting plug; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a modified plug for use in the candle holder of FIG. 4.

In the drawings, the preferred candle holder is generally identified in FIGS. I--3 by the reference numeral and the wax candle is identified by the reference numeral 12.

The plastic candle holder 10 is made of conventional flameretardant plastic, such as flame-retardant polypropylene,

polystyrene, polyethylene, and other conventional flame-retardant plastic materials. The candle holder has a cup-shaped body 14, with tapering frustoconical sidewalls l6, and a bottom wall 18. A depending annular rim 20 is provided upon which the candle holder rests when supported upon a table or the like. An open space 22 is provided underneath the bottom wall.

A raised central portion 24 is formed in the bottom wall which has tapering sidewalls 26. An opening 28 extends vertically through the raised central portion and the bottom wall to receive an upstanding rigid wick 30. The wick is secured by adhesive 32, or any other conventional means of securing to the exterior of the bottom wall 18.

The candle 12 is a frustoconical configuration and is of a size so that it mates and is insertable within the candle holder. A cored opening 34 extendsfrom the bottom through the top of the wax candle and is of a size such as to be slightly larger in diameter than the wick 30 so that the candle can be inserted in the candle holder in the fashion shown in FIG. 2 with the wick fitting therethrough.

A modification of this invention is shown in holder 4. In this modification a glass candle holder is identified by the reference numeral 40 and is of similar tapered cuplike construction as the holder 10, previously described. However, it is provided with an opening 42 at the bottom wall, which receives in a press fit relation a plastic plug 44. The plastic plug supports the wick 30 and is of a sufficient height that the top tapered walls 46 of the plug will extend above the bottom wall 48 of the candle holder to provide a raised central portion similar to that shown in the embodiment of candle holder 10. Flanges 50 at the bottom of the plug 44 provide means for pressing the plug into the opening 42 and withdrawing it after the candle 12 has been consumed.

In FIG. 5 a modification of the plug is shown for use with the candle holder 40 of FIG. 4. This modification is generally identified by the reference numeral 56 and is of similar construction but has a lesser height, such that the top is flush with the top surface of the bottom wall 48 of the candle holder. The plug supports the rigid wick 30 and is inserted and removed in the candle holder 40 in a similar fashion to that described in FIG. 4.

USE

The preferred plastic candle holder of this invention is very simply employed. When it is desired to use the candle holder, the candle 12 is simply inserted into the holder in the fashion shown in FIG. 2. The wick is lit and and the votive candle is employed in conventional fashion. When the candle is consumed and the wick burns down to the raised central portion 24, it is extinguished and the remaining wax fills the annular depressed portion 25, extending between the raised central portion and the sidewalls 16 of the candle holder. This residue provides a degree of insulation which prevents overheating of the bottom wall 22 of the candle holder. The combination of the residue of wax in the annular depressed portion 25 with the raised bottom wall 22, due to the construction of the support rim 20, prevents any overheating of any table surface or the like upon which a candle holder is placed. After use, the holder is simply thrown away and a new holder and candle are employed for further offerings.

The candle holder 40 shown in FIG. 4 is used in a like manner to that described in FIGS. l3. The glass candle holder 40 is provided with the plastic plug 44, which is simply inserted in the opening 42. The cored candle 12 is then placed thereover and it is used and functions in a similar fashion to that described for FIGS. l3. When the candle is consumed, the plug is withdrawn and the holder is cleaned, after which it is ready for insertion with a fresh plug 44. The annular portion provided by the elevation of the raised central portion of the plug 46 functions in the same fashion as the raised central portion 24 of the candle holder 10.

The embodiment of FIG. 5 for plug 56 is used in a similar fashion to that for FIG. 4. However, since the top of the plug 56 is flush with the top surface of the bottom wall of the candle holder, there is no annular portion for the wax to be received. However, the plug is simply withdrawn and the holder can be readily cleaned and supplied with a fresh plug.

What I claim is:

l. A candle and holder comprising an open-topped receptacle receiving a solid candle having a vertically extending cored opening therein, said receptacle having a hole in its bottom and means fastening a rigid candle wick in said hole, said wick extending vertically upward and loosely receivable within the cored opening of said candle.

2. The candle holder of claim 1 in which a bottom wall of the holder has a raised central portion supporting the candle wick and an annular depressed portion between said raised central portion and sidewalls of said cup-shaped body said raised central portion being sufficiently high to prevent overheating of the bottom wall of the holder.

3. The candle holder of claim 1 in which the wick extends through a hole in a bottom wall of said receptacle and is secured to the outside of said bottom wall.

4. .The candle holder of claim 2 in which the candle holder has an annular depending rim member extending below the bottom wall of said holder, the wick extends through an opening in said central portion and is secured to the outside of said bottom wall, and the raised central portion seals the wick above the bottom wall.

5. The candle holder of claim 1 in which the wick is fixed to a solid plug insertable in an opening in the bottom wall of the candle holder.

6. The candle holder of claim Sin which the plug is made of flame-retardant plastic.

7. The candle holder of claim 5 in which the plug extends above the bottom wall of the holder defining a raised central portion and an annular depressed portion between said raised central portion and sidewalls of the receptacle said raised central portion being sufficiently high to prevent overheating of the bottom wall of the holder.

8. A glass candle holder comprising a receptacle having an open top, said holder supporting a candle wick at the bottom, said wick extending vertically upward in the center of said holder, a bottom wall of the holder having a raised central portion of nonmetallic material having a low heat transfer rate supporting the candle wick and an annular depressed portion between said raised central portion and sidewalls of said receptacle, said raised central portion being sufficiently high to prevent overheating of the bottom wall of the holder.

9. A candle holder comprising a glass receptacle having an open top, said holder supporting a candle wick at the bottom, said wick extending vertically upward in the center of said holder, said wick being fixed to a solid plug insertable in an opening in the bottom wall of said receptacle.

10. The glass candle holder of claim 8 in which the raised central portion is in the form ofa plastic plug insertable in an opening in the bottom wall of the receptacle. 

1. A candle and holder comprising an open-topped receptacle receiving a solid candle having a vertically extending cored opening therein, said receptacle having a hole in its bottom and means fastening a rigid candle wick in said hole, said wick extending vertically upward and loosely receivable within the cored opening of said candle.
 2. The candle holder of claim 1 in which a bottom wall of the holder has a raised central portion supporting the candle wick and an annular depressed portion between said raised central portion and sidewalls of said cup-shaped body said raised central portion being sufficiently high to prevent overheating of the bottom wall of the holder.
 3. The candle holder of claim 1 in which the wick extends through a hole in a bottom wall of said receptacle and is secured to the outside of said bottom wall.
 4. The candle holder of claim 2 in which the candle holder has an annular depending rim member extending below the bottom wall of said holder, the wick extends through an opening in said central portion and is secured to the outside of said bottom wall, and the raised central portion seals the wick above the bottom wall.
 5. The candle holder of claim 1 in which the wick is fixed to a solid plug insertable in an opening in the bottom wall of the candle holder.
 6. The candle holder of claim 5 in which the plug is made of flame-retardant plastic.
 7. The candle holder of claim 5 in which the plug extends above the bottom wall of the holder defining a raised central portion and an annular depressed portion between said raised central portion and sidewalls of the receptacle said raised central portion being sufficiently high to prevent overheating of the bottom wall of the holder.
 8. A glass candle holder comprising a receptacle having an open top, said holder supporting a candle wick at the bottom, said wick extending vertically upward in the center of said holder, a bottom wall of the holder having a raised central portion of nonmetallic material having a low heat transfer rate supporting the candle wick and an annular depressed portion between said raised central portion and sidewalls of said receptacle, said raised central portion being Sufficiently high to prevent overheating of the bottom wall of the holder.
 9. A candle holder comprising a glass receptacle having an open top, said holder supporting a candle wick at the bottom, said wick extending vertically upward in the center of said holder, said wick being fixed to a solid plug insertable in an opening in the bottom wall of said receptacle.
 10. The glass candle holder of claim 8 in which the raised central portion is in the form of a plastic plug insertable in an opening in the bottom wall of the receptacle. 